We were on the red carpet for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of “One Percent More Humid” at SVA.
The film tells the story of Catherine and Iris. They are childhood friends home from college for a hot New England summer. They attempt to lose themselves in partying, skinny-dipping and other pleasurable bad behavior, but a shared trauma in their past becomes increasingly difficult to suppress. As grief drives a wedge between the friends, they each look for solace in forbidden affairs.
Tell me a little bit about the inspiration for the project?
Liz W. Garcia: Well I based this on sort of an amalgam of true stories from where I grew up, which was in suburban Connecticut. We experienced many of the tragedies … I don’t want to give too much away … that happened in this film. I based it on kind of my own coming of age story and that of my friends.
Speak about your casting. You have two fantastic actresses, Julia and Juno.
Liz W. Garcia: I was really, really lucky to be able to get Julia Garner and Juno Temple to play childhood best friends in this film. They are very different actresses who approach their work differently but are both so talented, so pleasant, and they really came to love each other and trusted one another, and so it was very believable and sort of easy to have them as best friends.
Were you always planning to write and direct? How did you get your start in this industry?
Liz W. Garcia: Well, the crazy thing is that I wrote the script 16 years ago. It was the first script that I wrote when I was trying to get my writing career started. I loved it so much but I thought well I couldn’t possibly direct it because I was 25 and I felt like I don’t know how to do that. But then, a year or two went by and there was another director involved, and I had to say to myself, you know, “You do want to direct it, you’re just scared.” It was kind of an amazing.
16 years is a long time!
Liz W. Garcia: It took a long time, and then … yeah, and then it was like, “Let’s make this movie … wait, this is really hard.” Well, I stepped into the role of director and then it was many many years of trying to cast it and find the financing. What’s interesting is that over that time, I made another film that was just easier to get made, and so that made it easier to make this one. The industry changed over the time that I was trying to get this movie made, and it became friendlier toward small films made by women about women. That, I think, ultimately contributed to the fact that we were able to get this movie going now.
Tell me a little bit about the role that you play?
Juno Temple: I play a young woman called Iris, who in this film her and her best friend Catherine are dealing with some very intense sadness because they’ve been through this horrible accident where they lost their best friend. Instead of actually helping each other through it, they both try and sort of fix their own wounds quietly by themselves but ultimately they need to come together because they love each other and they’re the only ones that are going to make it better.
How was working with Julia?
Juno: The best experience ever. She’s one of my favorite humans on the planet. I mean I hope people love the movie but I’m so happy I met her.
Speak about collaborating with Liz, she’s the writer, she’s director. It’s a very personal story for her. Can you speak about that process of working and building?
Juno: When somebody invites you into their universe like that it’s a pretty big honor And I think that she’s an incredibly open, giving human. So when you have someone that is presenting something like this, which is so personal to them and they’re so open and honest about why, and where, and how. If you are really open back it’s pretty sensational experience.
How was working with Alessandro?
Juno: Great, he’s such an amazing human also and gave me some really good life advice.
Tell me a little bit about the role that you play.
Alessandro Nivola: I play a guy named Gerald who’s a college professor, who’s at a kind of crossroads in his life. He wanted to be a writer all life and he’s a bit of a failure. He’s lost his mojo, and as a result, his marriage is suffering and he falls in love with one of his students, which is one of many bad mistakes, bad choices that he makes in the course of the film.
Speak about working with Juno.
Alessandro Nivola: Well, you know, from the day I met her, she was just game, you know? We didn’t have a lot of time getting to know each other and we had to immediately be in some compromising situations, you know there’s a lot of like love, romance, and everything. She’s just kind of totally uncensored and not shy at all and not self-conscious. It made the whole experience just easy and fun and a joy. I’m grateful to her for it.
This is a very personal project for Liz. It was 16 years in the making.
Alessandro Nivola: Well, it’s actually been a 16-year process in the making for me as well, because she offered me this role, when it was set up with a couple of other actresses 15, 16 years ago. I was in and then it fell out, fell apart. Fifteen years later I got a phone call from her saying she still had my dressing room ready and was I in? I felt like how could I say no to that? She and I have been at this for a long time together. I really just felt a loyalty to her. I’d always loved the script and I’d always loved the role, and so we stuck at it together.
Tell me a little bit about your role?
Jack DiFalco: I play Reynolds, it’s Juno Temple, Iris’s friend at the deli. I’m a co-worker of hers and I kind of help her make some good decisions and you know, have a little crush on her, throughout the film.
Was it fun working with her?
Jack: It was a blessing to work with somebody with the capacity that she has, with the roles and the depths that she goes through. It’s truly an honor.
How was working with Liz?
Jack: I would not rather work with anybody else. She knows how to get what she wants from her actors and she makes you feel very comfortable and very wanted on set and it’s just such a blessing.
How excited are you to be here at the festival?
Jack: I’m pumped, I mean Tribeca, this is it. This is the big deal, this is the big one and to be in a film here’s just so great.
Tell me a little bit about your acting beginnings. How did you get your start?
Jack: Sure, I got my start in Upstate New York, my manager actually found me doing an audition class and then through him I booked my first regional role and then I did a couple Off Broadway stuff and now I’m making my Broadway debut.
What’s your Broadway debut?
Jack: “Marvin’s Room” at the Roundabout.
Tell me a little bit about your role in that?
Jack: In Marvin’s Room I play Hank. If you’re familiar with the movie it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s role. He did it in the film. He’s a troubled kid who’s just fighting to find a place in the world with not having such a great role models for parents and to just try to make the right decisions but also not get pushed over, you know.
Oh it’s exciting. Anything else you want to share?
Jack: Just so honored, so excited just to be a part of this and to be working here and to work with these great talents is just, I’m speechless.
Party sightings:
Zachary Quinto, Jenny Slate, Sheila Vand, Dale Soules, Noah Robbins, Jacinto Riddick, Natasha McElhone and Brian Shoaf (Director) celebrated the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Aardvark at the official after party on Friday, April 21st at La Sirena.
PHOTO CREDIT: Theo Wargo, Getty Images
Juno Temple, Alessandro Nivola, Mamoudou Athie, Olivia Luccardi, Maggie Siff and Philip Ettinger celebrated the 2017 Tribeca Film premiere of One Percent More Humid at the official after party on Friday, April 21st, sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon at The Chester.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ilya Savenok, Getty Images
Mike Francesca, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Daniel H. Forer (Director) and Ted Shaker (Executive Producer) celebrated 2017 Tribeca Film premiere of ESPN’s 30 for 30: Mike & The Mad Dog at the official after party on Friday, April 21st, sponsored by Mohegan Sun at White Street.
PHOTO CREDIT: Noam Galai, Getty Images
